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Stripe vs Airwallex: card fees, currency conversion, product suite and who can open each from Egypt or the Gulf

Stripe and Airwallex compared for a US company selling abroad: published US rates as of 27 September 2026, worked fee examples, where Airwallex's multi-currency accounts help, where Stripe's integrations matter, and account eligibility from Egypt and the Gulf.

September 27, 2026 StripeAirwallexpayment gatewaypayment feesmulti-currency accountcomparison
Illustration of a balance scale weighing a bank card against a desk globe.

The short answer

Stripe and Airwallex both process card payments, and on price they are close: 2.9% + $0.30 on Stripe and 2.8% + $0.30 on Airwallex for a US card, as published on 27 September 2026. On a $100 sale that is $3.20 against $3.10. Both add 1.5% for cards issued outside the US.

The difference is in what surrounds the payment. Airwallex is also a multi-currency business account: you can hold balances in several currencies, convert at a small margin above the interbank rate, and pay out locally in many countries. Both price subscription billing and tax calculation; Stripe's difference is that it connects to more platforms.

The deciding factor is usually what you do with the money after the sale. If you mainly need checkout and subscriptions that work with the platforms you use, Stripe fits. If you hold, convert and pay out in several currencies, Airwallex fits. A common setup uses Stripe for checkout and Airwallex for holding and converting currencies.

How they differ at a glance

A merchant of record is the business that legally sells to the buyer and carries the duty to collect sales tax or VAT, handle refunds and answer chargebacks. By default, with both Stripe and Airwallex, that business is you. Airwallex's Merchant of Record add-on is in early access, and the US fee schedule does not price it.

Stripe Airwallex
Type Payment processor; you are the merchant of record Payment processor and multi-currency business account; you are the merchant of record
Standard card rate (US account) 2.9% + $0.30 2.8% + $0.30 for US cards
International cards +1.5% 4.3% + $0.30 (+1.5%)
Currency conversion +1% 1% when a sale converts; 0.5% if a non-USD sale settles in the same currency; converting a balance is 0.5% above interbank for major currencies such as GBP, 1% for others including SAR, AED and EGP
Subscriptions Stripe Billing, +0.7% Subscription Management, +0.5%
Sales tax / VAT You; Stripe Tax can calculate it for 0.5% where you are registered You; automatic tax calculation 0.4% on invoices and subscriptions
Disputes $15, plus $15 if you counter; refunded if you win $15 chargeback plus any network charges
Payouts Standard free; Instant Payouts 1.5% (min $0.50) Held in the account; local transfers free within the US and Canada; $1 or more abroad in most currencies on Explore; SWIFT $15–$25
Monthly fee None Explore plan $0; paid plans add features
Who can open Businesses registered in a supported country; UAE yes, Egypt and Saudi Arabia no Businesses registered in an eligible country; the US entity onboards US-registered companies

Fees on the same sale

These examples use each provider's standard online card rate on a US account. "Intl" means a card issued outside the US; "+ FX" means the buyer pays in another currency and the processor converts it.

Scenario Stripe Airwallex
$100 US card fee $3.20 / net $96.80 fee $3.10 / net $96.90
$100 intl card fee $4.70 / net $95.30 fee $4.60 / net $95.40
$100 intl card + FX fee $5.70 / net $94.30 fee $5.60 / net $94.40
$100 intl subscription fee $5.40 / net $94.60 fee $5.10 / net $94.90
$29 US subscription fee $1.34 / net $27.66 fee $1.26 / net $27.74
$29 intl subscription fee $1.78 / net $27.22 fee $1.70 / net $27.30
$1000 intl card fee $44.30 / net $955.70 fee $43.30 / net $956.70
Charge needed to net $100 (US card) $103.30 $103.19

On one-off card sales the gap is the 0.1 percentage point between 2.9% and 2.8%: ten cents on $100 and one dollar on $1,000. The "+ FX" row uses a 1% conversion for both. On Airwallex that is the fee when a sale converts into your settlement currency, whatever the currency. If the sale settles in the same currency, such as GBP, Airwallex charges 0.5% instead, and you convert the balance later only if you need to.

The subscription rows include Stripe Billing at 0.7% for Stripe and Subscription Management at 0.5% for Airwallex. To test your own prices, use the Stripe fee calculator, the Airwallex fee calculator, or the all-gateways fee comparison.

Stripe in practice

Stripe is a payment processor built around a set of connected products. Checkout gives you a hosted payment page, Billing handles subscriptions and invoices (priced on its Billing pricing page at 0.7% in our figures), and Tax calculates sales tax and VAT for 0.5% where you are registered. Many e-commerce, membership and software platforms connect to Stripe directly, which often decides the question before price does.

On a US account, as listed on the pricing page on 27 September 2026, an online card costs 2.9% + $0.30, a manually entered card 3.4% + $0.30, and ACH Direct Debit 0.8% capped at $5. International cards add 1.5%, conversion adds 1%, and there is no monthly fee. Disputes cost $15, plus $15 if you counter. Stripe does not return the processing fee when you refund a sale.

Stripe pays out to a bank account on a standard schedule for free, or instantly for 1.5% (minimum $0.50). What it does not do is act as a multi-currency account for spending and paying suppliers. That is the gap Airwallex fills for many sellers.

Airwallex in practice

Airwallex combines card acceptance with a multi-currency business account. You collect payments, hold the proceeds in several currencies, convert between them, and send local transfers without routing every payment through US dollars.

Its US pricing page, as published on 27 September 2026, lists online card payments at 2.8% + $0.30 for US cards and 4.3% + $0.30 for international cards. Its fee schedule, read on 5 November 2026, charges 1% when a sale converts into your settlement currency and 0.5% when a non-USD sale settles in the same currency. Converting a balance costs 0.5% above the interbank rate for major currencies such as GBP and 1% for others; SAR, AED and EGP fall in the "others" group. Local transfers are free within the US and Canada and cost $1 or more abroad in most currencies on the Explore plan, SWIFT transfers cost $15 to $25, and a chargeback costs $15 plus any network charges. Subscription Management adds 0.5% and automatic tax calculation 0.4% on invoices and subscriptions. The Explore plan is $0 a month; paid plans add features. For the full list, with worked examples, see what Airwallex charges.

The limits are integrations and eligibility. Airwallex is not as widely integrated with store builders and software platforms as Stripe, so check your platform's supported gateways before you choose. And its eligibility page requires an active, registered business in an eligible country, outside its unsupported industries, and within its risk appetite.

Who can use each one from Egypt or the Gulf

Stripe. As of 27 September 2026, Stripe's supported-countries list includes the UAE and does not include Egypt or Saudi Arabia. The list is about where the business is registered. A UAE-licensed business can apply for a UAE Stripe account; a founder in Egypt or Saudi Arabia usually applies through a company registered in a supported country. A US LLC can apply for a US Stripe account under Stripe's US account requirements, and Stripe reviews every application.

Airwallex. Airwallex opens accounts for businesses registered in its eligible countries, and its US entity onboards US-registered companies. Whether a company registered in Egypt, Saudi Arabia or the UAE can open an account depends on Airwallex's eligible countries and territories page; check it for your company's country before you apply rather than relying on a summary. On 5 November 2026 the list did not include Egypt, Saudi Arabia or the UAE. For a US company owned from abroad, Airwallex also requires a genuine US place of business: a registered agent's address counts only for online sellers of goods or companies formed within the last year. Airwallex also looks at where each owner lives, and we could not confirm how it treats an owner in Egypt or the Gulf. Our guide to Airwallex fees sets out the full rules.

A US LLC can apply for the US-priced accounts described in this article with both providers. Foundlie forms the US LLC and prepares the documents both applications ask for; Stripe and Airwallex each decide after their own review, and neither approval is guaranteed.

Which one to choose

Choose Stripe if:

  • you rely on Stripe's billing, tax or invoicing tools, or on platforms built around them;
  • your store builder or software platform connects to Stripe and not to Airwallex;
  • you mainly sell in US dollars and pay out to one bank account.

Choose Airwallex if:

  • you hold money in several currencies or pay suppliers and contractors abroad;
  • you keep sales in GBP or another currency your account settles like-for-like, to spend them there, since that costs 0.5% against 1% to convert;
  • you want card acceptance and a multi-currency account in one place, and your platform supports it.

Use both when checkout and treasury are separate jobs. A common setup is Stripe for checkout and subscriptions, with an Airwallex account to hold, convert and pay out currencies. Before relying on it, confirm in Stripe's payout settings that it accepts your Airwallex account details as a payout destination.

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheaper for a $100 sale from a US card?

Airwallex, by ten cents: $3.10 against Stripe's $3.20, at the rates published on 27 September 2026. On a $1,000 international card sale the difference is one dollar ($43.30 against $44.30).

Which is cheaper when the customer pays in GBP?

If the money ends up in dollars, about the same: Airwallex charges 1% when a sale converts into your settlement currency, matching Stripe's 1%. Airwallex costs less if you settle in pounds and keep them, because settling in the same currency costs 0.5%. Converting that balance to dollars later adds about another 0.5%. That compares the fees only, not the exchange rates each one applies.

Can I use Stripe or Airwallex without a US company?

For Stripe, only if your business is registered in a supported country such as the UAE; there is no Stripe account for a business registered in Egypt or Saudi Arabia. For Airwallex, check its eligible-countries page for your company's country of registration. Either way, the account is opened for a company, not for you personally.

Can Stripe pay out into an Airwallex account?

It can, and it is a common setup, but it depends on Stripe accepting the Airwallex account details for your account's country and currency. Confirm it in the Stripe dashboard before you build your cash flow around it.

Which is better for subscriptions?

Airwallex's Subscription Management adds 0.5% and Stripe Billing adds 0.7%, so Airwallex costs slightly less on each recurring payment. Stripe connects to more platforms, so check that the billing features you need exist on Airwallex before you choose.

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